Patient's question:
Medical Description: The patient is a female, born 4 months ago, and developed excessive tearing and eye discharge 10 days after birth.Treatment History and Effect: She visited an ophthalmology hospital and was prescribed imported eye drops. One was from Belgium, and the other was from Japan; I forgot the specific names. The eye drops improved the condition when used, but it recurred after discontinuation.
Help Needed:
1. What type of eye disease does this belong to?
2. What kind of eye drops should be used?
Doctor's answer:
Newborns with excessive eye discharge often have a blocked lacrimal duct as the most common cause, followed by consideration of conjunctivitis or dacryocystitis. If the child has discharge in only one eye, with a light yellowish-white color, or if only one eye frequently appears "tearful," the likelihood of a lacrimal duct obstruction is higher. It is recommended to start with lacrimal sac massage for the child. The method is as follows: Use the thumb to apply slight pressure from the inner corner of the eye along the nose bridge down to the side of the nose, five times a day, with five presses each time. Remember to trim the nails clean. If there is no improvement after lacrimal sac massage, it is advisable to undergo a lacrimal duct probing procedure. The best time for this is when the child is three months old, as the lacrimal puncta are large enough at this age to facilitate irrigation and probing, and the child will not struggle as much. If the child is older and struggles more, the probing will be more difficult.